A new piece of Batman fan art transforms The Suicide Squad’s Peter Capaldi into the DC Universe’s new Alfred Pennyworth. Perhaps best known for his tenure as the Twelfth Doctor in the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who, Capaldi assumed the show’s Time Lord role from 2013 to 2017. In 2019, it was announced that Capaldi would be joining the cast of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, in a role later revealed to be that of Gaius Grieves (aka The Thinker), the lead scientist of Project Starfish.

Now a new piece of fan art from digital artist horrific.heroics imagines Capaldi taking another role in the DCU’s future slate, namely that of Bruce Wayne’s beloved butler Alfred Pennyworth.

This imaginative piece of speculative fan casting comes amid a massive shakeup to the live-action DC Universe. With new DC Studios co-CEO Gunn already indicating that Batman will continue to play a significant part in the DCU’s future, it is likely that audiences will see yet another actor assume Alfred’s iconic role moving forward. This latest piece of DC fan art puts forward a compelling case for Capaldi’s potential consideration.

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The Big Screen Evolution Of Batman’s Butler Explained

Alfred Pennyworth at a table in Wayne Manor in The Batman

Over the years, the role of Alfred Pennyworth has evolved significantly with each successive reworking of the Batman mythology. A voice of calm and quiet restraint, for many years the part of Alfred was indelibly linked with that of prolific British character actor Michael Gough. First appearing alongside Michael Keaton in 1989’s Batman, Gough would not only return as Alfred for 1992’s Batman Returns, but he would also continue to serve two more Batmen following Keaton’s departure. While 1995’s Batman Forever and 1997’s Batman & Robin would each see Val Kilmer and George Clooney make their respective debuts as Gotham’s Dark Knight, Gough remained on as a steady face amid the constant recasting of the franchise’s lead role.

When Christopher Nolan began his own interpretation of the Batman mythology, beginning with 2005’s Batman Begins, Michael Caine became the next actor to assume the Alfred role. A distinctly more grounded version of the character, Caine’s version of Alfred was reimagined as a former SAS soldier prior to his time joining the Wayne family. This particular backstory would even go on to inform the character’s respective portrayals in the live-action television series Gotham and Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler, evolving into a common characteristic shared by many future iterations of the role.

Most recently, the role of Alfred has also been tackled by Jeremy Irons in the former DCEU films crafted by Zack Snyder and Andy Serkis in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. While both versions shared a protective instinct for the vigilante they had helped raise, Irons’ version was often depicted as a more technically minded version of the character, often shown fixing Bruce Wayne’s complex military-grade equipment. Meanwhile, Serkis’ Alfred leaned more heavily into his close relationship with Bruce, adopting a more fatherly approach and reminding him of the need to shower and eat. Moreover, Serkis’ Alfred was also not afraid to knock Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne down a peg or two when needed. With such a rich history on the big screen, it will be interesting to see what the next cinematic version of Batman’s trusty butler adds to Alfred’s much-beloved character.

Next: The Batman: Alfred's "Circus" Line Sets Up A Better Robin Sequel Origin

Source: horrific.heroics/Instagram

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